Koishi's harsh lesson
by Sazman
Summary: Sometimes life is just plain unfair, and even a life-changing event may not help. Koishi loses her identity, but gains nothing in return.


Everything around Koishi was laughter. And pain. At this point she doesn't even register whether the pain is physical or mental, but she suffered. Amidst the mob of humans who shunned her, forced her on the ground. She didn't want this, she just wanted to help people with her mind-reading powers. But there she was, treated like a dead animal, beaten up violently to the point boot marks covered her clothes and dirt stained her face. But even through being ridiculed, and being called names, Koishi didn't resent the humans. Humans are afraid of those powers, that much she knows. But then, the problem was located elsewhere: the third eye of which the veins were chewed upon by some sick dog, and she pulled on to free it. She slowly carressed the burdened eye, and the damaged vein, which hurt way more than her current bruises. "We don't want some nasty curious youkai in our village!" Some man said, crushing with his boot the tiny fingers that rested on the ground, and once more Koishi wailed, not moving her hand in fear of losing her fingers.

Maybe, if she was more human, she'd be accepted..? That was the resolution Koishi took after coming back to Chireiden, evading any question her sister was asking, worried over her state. She had been pulled on the ground all the way from the center of the village to its limit, and she hovered tiredly towards the entrance of the underground, sometimes dropping to walk a few miles.

Later that night, she was lying down in her room, cleaned up, and the bruises less hurting. She glanced at the ceiling while thinking, thinking of how to become more human. Of how to change, to be more accepted, and to have the humans accept her sister. She wanted the humans to stop fear satori of any kind: they were as human as them, save for the mind-reading powers. That was the solution, anyway. Why continue to be a mind-reader? She just needed to close her third eye.

Forcefully pressing the eyelids together didn't seem to work, and the eye glared at Koishi, as if questioning her actions and intentions. Koishi stopped after a while, huffing and holding her hurting hand. She just wanted to stop being a youkai.. whatever it took. Perhaps the next day might open some opportunities and help her think of ways to close her eye. She fell into slumber quite immediately. Her eyes jerked open after a few hours, in the dead of night, and she found herself sobbing uncontrollably, for no reason in particular. She quickly wiped the tears, and stood up, as if her tiredness had faded. She walked in the hallways a few, trying to clear her buzzing mind from the events of the last day, although she found silence. Complete, unadulterated silence. That.. that has never happened before! Even if there was no one talking around, she could always hear some pet's mind. But nothing occurred. Not even if she tried with all her might, she couldn't hear anything. She rushed to her room, trying to be careful about any obstacle, and looked into the reflection of the mirror. She couldn't make it all out, so she grabbed a candle and lit towards the area of the third eye. She staggered away and even dropped the candle when she discovered the closed state of her eye.

Taking a moment to gather herself, she approached the mirror and carressed the reflection of the closed eye. It was then a rush of happiness but also sadness that washed over her, and she couldn't wait to announce it to the human village! Maybe now her sister and her could be accepted! She wasn't a 'nasty curious youkai' anymore! Wasting little time, she went to the kitchen and grabbed some food to last the trip. She would come back after to let Satori know she's been successful. Of course, it was still night, so Koishi didn't see where she was going very well, and it took a few minutes of trying to gather the necessary food without dropping either the candle or the basket. Thinking that her sister might worry if she doesn't return in time for breakfast, Koishi proceeds to write a tiny note and she then heads out, not needing the candle anymore as she knew the way out of the blowhole perfectly well.

It was about 6am when Koishi had the human village in sight, and she dropped quietly to the ground, as flying would have her be recognized as a monster, and she would be hurting again. She didn't want that. Grabbing some food from the basket and quietly eating it, she exited the dense woods and arrived in the village, walking around the different streets to see if someone was awake. She didn't find anyone until half an hour later, but even then her idea of helping her sister was still engraved in her mind. So she sought the awake people, ready to offer them the basket in lieu of charity and good intentions. However, the result was not as expected. "Who the heck are ya?" Was the answer she recieved after smiling at the first human she crossed paths with. Koishi's smile dropped as soon as it arrived. He didn't recognize her? He was the human that stepped on her fingers, and.. he didn't recognize her? No no no, that couldn't happen like that. She needed him to understand.. something? Wait. She had a plan in mind. She needed to tell him.. something very important! Koishi tried to form intelligible words, but nothing came out. "So? Who are you and why are you standing still? That's a human village here, we don't want youkai in here."

Koishi remembered her mission with the human's words, and her smile came back. "Oh yes, yes! I remember now! I offer you this food as good will! I want you to see that satori are not as bad as you'd think! We're humans, just like you! So please.. Won't you accept me and my sister into your village?" The human stood there dumb, before he took the basket and dropped it to the ground. "Accept youkai into our village? Are you actually thinking I'd do that? That any of us would allow that! As if! That'd be our downfall if youkai lived with us! Get lost, kid, you're delusional." Koishi stared in disbelief at the fallen basket, and then back at the human, before she fled in tears. Once she was out of the village, the human blinked twice, before he picked up the food. "Why the hell did I waste such good food.. and where did it come from?" Shrugging, he went to his home to get a broom and clean up the mess.

After a few minutes of flying, Koishi forgot why she was crying and wiped her eyes as she arrived at the blowhole. There, she dropped quietly, her good mood being back. She sang around although it was early in the morning, and as she arrived to Chireiden, she calmed down, and entered. She was kind of sleepy, so she directly went to her room. There, she found the note she wrote earlier hung to the door handle, and she read it, before quickly dismissing it and going to sleep. She was going to free Satori and herself? Free them from what exactly? Koishi was so silly at times, writing such sappy stuff.


End file.
